First Meeting
By
Landon Richardson
Official Disclaimer
Please note that the characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Catherine Rollins, Grace Williams, Charlie Williams, Meka Hanamoa and Governor Patricia Jameson do not belong to me in any shape of form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.
The character of Danielle 'Danni' Richardson and Nicole 'Nicci' Williams however do belong to me so please do not use them without first asking and obtaining permission.
Any other character who might pop up who you don't instantly recognise the name of probably belongs to me as well
Thank you
Author Note
Welcome to First Meeting, part one of the Medical Examiner Saga
This story is set around about season one, episode six.
I'd like to state here that I don't believe that Steve would act quite so much like the way he is portrayed here but it was fun to be able to write him as a complete goofball and all because of a girl. So please take that portion of the story with a pinch of salt as it's not meant to be incredibly serious.
Please note as well that I have adjusted Danny's background for this story. Rachel, in this saga, died giving birth to Charlie and they never split up so Danny has sole custody of Grace and Charlie, I have also lowered Grace's age from seven to five in the story.
Anyway, please enjoy part one.
Story Summary
Steve McGarrett wanted just a simple weekend where he could just relax and enjoy himself. What he didn't want was a case which needed to be solved ASAP. To say that he was pissed off was an understatement right until he meets the Chief Medical Examiner of Hawaii… suddenly the weekend doesn't seem that bad. It might even change the rest of his life.
Romantic pairings
Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danielle Richardson (McDanni)
Mentions of Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)
Hint of past Danny Williams / Rachel Williams (Danchel)
Mentions of Danielle Richardson / Ryan Moore (Ryelle)
Part One of the Medical Examiner Saga
"You know McGarrett, I can honestly say that being forced to work on a Saturday after your boss has stood in front of you with his hand placed squarely over his heart, promising that you wouldn't have to work this weekend should be illegal, or if not illegal because you know laws, then it should at least come heavily compensated because receiving that call from you this morning was , more than a little frustrating." Danny Williams announced as he pushed open the heavy doors which led into the Medical Examiner building, his bright blue eyes landing on the tall form of his partner who was casually leaning against one of the nearby walls.
Steve McGarrett slowly opened his eyes as he lazily stood up straight, his mouth curled upwards into a smirk, before he joined where Danny was standing in three long strides.
"You say that Danny but let's think about this logically for a moment, this whole situation could have been worse." Steve pointed out, his smirk growing when Danny shot him a confused frown.
"Really? And pray tell me Steven how this situation could be worse?" The blonde asked him, a tone to his voice which told Steve that the younger man was already regretting asking the question and leaving the door wide open for Steve to respond anyway he wanted.
"Well Daniel" Steve stared, relishing the moment as he continued to speak. "We could have been called in on a Sunday instead."
For a moment Danny remained quiet, simply staring at his partner with a blank expression on his face as though Steve was using some foreign language which he didn't quite understand before his eyes suddenly narrowed, his right hand whipping towards Steve and curling into a fist mid-flight which he used to punch his partner hard in the shoulder.
"I can't believe that you actually just said that to me." Danny grumbled with a shake of his head as he looked away from Steve, his eyes flickering around him at the various people coming and going from the building, reminding him with a vengeance that just because Five-O were lucky enough to have most weekends off, didn't mean that other people who worked in the same sphere as them had the same option.
"Is that why you felt the need to strike your Commanding Officer? Tut, tut Detective Williams, what sort of example is that to set." Steve commented mildly lifting a questioning eyebrow when Danny turned to look at him again with a disbelieving look.
"Firstly McGarrett" The younger man said as he stabbed his index finger in Steve's direction. "We're not in the Navy so you're not my Commanding Officer, what you are instead is my pain in the ass Partner who I still believe is a punishment for something bad which I did in a past life and as for as that punch goes it was a tap and it was well deserved my friend." He told him, the comment causing Steve to laugh even as he made a show of rubbing at his shoulder as though he was in pain.
"Please Danno, who are you trying to kid here, we both know that you love me and you love being my partner." Steve replied in a confident tone.
"Is that what you believe?" Danny retorted. "Well, whatever helps you sleep at night babe." He tilted his head to one side, a thoughtful look coming to his face. "Trust you to pick today of all days to pick up a new positive attitude to life, an attitude which you definitely didn't have yesterday."
"Oh?" Steve replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh" Danny repeated as he took in Steve's relaxed pose and the smile which was still lingering. "Oh" He stated again, his eyes widening as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I understand now, your little Lieutenant with benefits is in town, isn't she? You got laid last night my friends, that would explain your attitude and that annoying smirk on your face."
Steve's mouth twitched though he ignored the correct assumption of his partner, unsurprised that the other man had figured it out so quickly. He stretched, changing the subject.
"So where is Grace and Charlie today?" He queried, his eyes flickering behind Danny as though he expected to see Danny's five-year-old daughter or 18 month old son hiding behind their father's leg, Grace looking at him with shy dark eyes, like she tended to do every time she met him while Charlie would be grinning at him with the same fearlessness which all babies since to have.
"Gracie and Charlie are both back home with Nicci" Danny replied, speaking of his younger sister Nicole who Danny shared a house with. "Because, call it crazy Steve, but I thought that bringing my precious children to the morgue wasn't exactly the sort of father and daughter or father and son bonding session which I was planning on doing today with them. I was considering taking them swimming, or playing dolls with Grace and colouring with Charlie or even taking them both shopping. That was the sort of activity I was planning on doing today, not bonding with them over a dead body while Max Bergman of all people hung around us. I would rather save my children from that fate." He stated as he uncrossed his arms, reaching up with his hand and running it through his hair. The action attracted Steve's attention, making him wonder not for the first time, just how much hair product Danny used since even after running his hand through his hair, not a single strand seemed out of place.
"You know Max isn't all that bad once you take the time to get to know him. You may even like him if you did and find out that the two of you shared some things in common with one another. You both like weird sci-fi movies that normal people would skip for example." Steve offered, grinning when Danny turned to glare at him again.
"Don't even start with me right now, I don't need you to set up play dates for me with people like you're my mother or something. You in this mood is beginning to freak me out so let's head down to the morgue, see why we are here in the first place, solve whatever case it is as soon as we can so I can go and salvage some of this weekend to spend with my daughter and son while you can head back to your place and spend more time with your lieutenant with benefits before she returns to the High Seas to do whatever it is that she does out there." Danny said, straightening his shoulders as though he was bracing himself for what was to come.
"Her name is Catherine, Danno, the world won't implode if you call her by her name" Steve remarked dryly.
"Lieutenant with benefits is catchier." Danny replied with a grin, his eyes twinkling under the bright overhead lights.
Steve rolled his eyes, making sure that Danny saw the movement before he straightened, a familiar mask coming over his features telling Danny that the time for the usual banter was now at an end and it was instead time for them to focus on the job at hand, something which Danny was more than happy to do."
"So, you never said why we were down here in the morgue, in fact you didn't give out any information at all, just that I needed to get myself down here as soon as I could." Danny said, rolling his shoulders back before he crossed his arms again.
"Well like you said, we're heading down to the morgue. The Governor wants us to view a body here before we start working on the case. She won't give any details until then." Steve explained, watching Danny sigh before the younger man reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well that is just fantastic isn't it, got to love the cases where we have absolutely no details to go on, remind me to call Nicci after we leave the morgue to let her know that she will have to look after Grace and Charlie today after all." He said as he dropped his hand, glancing towards Steve when the taller man spoke.
"I doubt your sister would mind spending the day with your children Danno, no one in their right mind would find that a hardship." He remarked, the absent comment causing Danny to grin at him, his blue eyes warm with friendship though all he did was shrug at him.
"Who wouldn't want to spend time with them both. I was the one who raised them since Rachel…" his words died out as his eyes flickered away, his thoughts clearly with his wife who had died during childbirth from complications leaving Danny with two young children to raise alone. He cleared his throat, his voice coming out huskily. "Should we go?" He asked, ignoring the sudden softening in Steve's own blue eyes.
"Yeah, let's go buddy" Steve replied.
They bypassed the elevator and made their way down to the morgue, using the stairs, sharing a quick look with each other as they opened the door to see the Governor was waiting for them at the entrance to the morgue. She was standing quietly, staring down at the floor clearly lost in her own thoughts while her PA and a single bodyguard stood to the side of her, the PA's attention fixed on the blackberry in his hand, no doubt rearranging the Governor's schedule while the bodyguard's eyes swept over them before looking away to continue scanning the area.
She glanced up as they approached her, her sharp pale blue eyes moving between the two of them thoughtfully before she gave them a stiff nod as she straightened.
"Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams, thank you both for coming." She said, a flat tone to her voice which neither of them had heard from her before.
"Governor Jameson" Steve replied with a nod of his own. "I didn't realise that you were meeting us down here." He commented, shooting his partner a quick look, unsurprised to see the puzzled look in the other man's eyes. In all the cases they had received from the Governor she had left them alone to get on with it, happy to simply get the odd update from Steve on the phone. She had never gone out of her way to be physically present before.
"I can see from your expressions that you are both wondering why I'm here. I have an interest in the case. The victim of the case is… was someone who I knew personally. I am a good friend of her father's and have known her since she was five years old." She explained to them, clearing her throat before continuing. "I've called you in because it's imperative that we find out where she was because according to her parents who rang me this morning to tell me what had happened, Beatrice was out with her twin sister Fiona and Fiona is still missing. I assured her father and mother that I would put my best team on this and that is you and your team Commander."
"So, the twin sister, Fiona did you say, is still out there." Danny remarked, a thoughtful note coming to his voice which Steve automatically recognised as Danny's work mentality kicking into action, he was probably already working through the countless things they would need to do to u their chances of finding the second girl alive and bringing her home to her parents.
"You have to find her, her parents have already lost one of their children today, I don't want to have to go back to them to tell them that they lost the second of their daughters as well." She stated fiercely, linking her hands together in front of her with enough pressure that Steve could see her knuckles whiten from it.
"If she is still alive then we will do everything we can to find her." Steve told her, meeting her gaze steadily when she turned to look at him. Whatever she saw in his eyes seemed to steady her, she nodded, looking away from them both to stare at the closed door behind her.
"The autopsy is due to begin in a moment; we were just waiting on Doctor Richardson to arrive." She explained to them, focusing her attention back on them.
"Doctor Richardson?" Steve repeated, his eyebrow rising at the unfamiliar name.
"Yes" The Governor agreed with a nod, a look of surprise coming to her face when she clearly spotted their joint blank looks. "Doctor Richardson is the Chief Medical Examiner for Hawaii." She prompted.
"I thought it was Doctor Bergman who was the Chief Medical Examiner" Steve remarked into the brief silence which had followed her words.
"I can see why you would make that mistake. Doctor Richardson has been stationed on the Big Island for the past seven months overseeing a project there. Doctor Richardson placed Doctor Bergman temporarily in charge here in Oahu until Doctor Richardson returned which was only a few days ago." The Governor explained before she took a deep breathe, twisted on the spot and looked at her Bodyguard who nodded and moved passed them, disappearing into the morgue briefly before he returned and held the door open for The Governor with a nod which she responded to by entering with the PA falling into step behind her.
Steve reached out, wrapping his hand around Danny's elbow to stop him from following them into the room.
"Do you know anything about Doctor Richardson Danno? Have you ever met them or heard the other Detectives mention them?" Steve asked him, keeping his voice low to minimise the chance of being overheard. He frowned slightly when Danny looked back at him and shook his head.
"No, I haven't, I've only been living in Hawaii for six month, if the good Doctor left to go to the Big Island seven months ago than our paths wouldn't have passed, especially as I was still in New Jersey at that point. Meka never mentioned them either though, in fairness to him, it would hardly have been a topic which came up and I wasn't going to ask the other Detectives because that would mean talking to them." Danny answered him with a shrug before he suddenly grinned at him. "I'm not going to lie though; I feel sorry for anyone who has to manage Max on a day to day basis."
"Let's get this over and done with." Steve commented, unable to hide the smile that Danny's comment produced as he silently agreed with him. He pushed the door open and entered the room, looking around the area automatically, his mind wondering vaguely why someone would pick this line of work.
The area was larger than he realised it was and it was clean, smelling surprisingly fresh though Steve could detect the underlying scent of the chemical agents which made it that way. The few previous times he had been there, they had been led to another smaller room, the few this larger room had a different atmosphere to it. He could hear soft music coming out from the IPOD which had been set up to one side, masking the sound on the ongoing autopsies and people working. There were a few other Medical Examiners there who he recognised from previous crime scenes though other than shooting them a quick look, they ignored them, clearly used to seeing people coming and going into the room.
It was busier in the morgue then he had expected it to be but he doubted that death would stop just because it was the weekend.
Their job would be a lot easier if it did.
"I'm looking for Doctor Richardson" The Governor asked the nearest Medical Examiner who opened his mouth to reply when he stopped and instead nodded his head towards the back area of the room.
Steve followed the movement in time to see Doctor Richardson walk into the main room. His eyes widened as the breath escaped his lungs as though someone had slugged him hard in the stomach.
He had no idea what he had been expecting when the Governor had talked about Doctor Richardson; maybe an older man or someone in his forties, maybe even someone who was like Max but what he found himself confronted with was nothing like that.
Doctor Richardson was a woman and a beautiful woman at that.
She looked young, perhaps in her late twenties or in her early thirties. He noticed that she was dressed simply in a knee length dress that was blue with a pattern of flowers on it with sleeves that came to her elbow which she has paired with a pair of ankle boots. It was a casual outfit, the sort of outfit you would throw on during a day off though she noticed that she someone brought a sense of feminine elegance to it.
She was tiny in height, probably about five foot or five foot one and slim. Long blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail, keeping the strands away from her small oval face. She was pale he noted, with some freckles across her small straight nose while large grey eyes held prominence in her face. There was a look of intelligence and kindness in them which he noted when her eyes flickered over to him briefly.
Steve swallowed hard, vaguely hearing Danny let out a small whistle beside him.
She was quite simply stunning.
Biting down hard on the inside of his cheek he forced himself to cross the room towards her, trying hard to pull his thoughts together from where they had been scattered at the sight of her. He had a job to do and he needed to focus on it though it wasn't doing him any good so far, something which he could tell that his partner was picking up on if the side look, he was shooting him was any indication to go by.
"Hello Governor Jameson, I wasn't expecting to see you down here in the morgue today." Doctor Richardson remarked as she moved gracefully across the large room on an intersect course with them. She had a beautiful voice he noticed almost absently. Her tone was quiet with a slightly husky quality to it which sent a shiver down his spine. It was the kind of voice which was made for a night in the bedroom, whispering sweet nothings in his ear or calling his name.
He could picture it so clearly in his mind, slowly stripping her from her clothes, his mouth and hands skimming her soft skin, it would be electric between them, he knew that for definite, just like he could tell that one touch or kiss wouldn't be enough for him. He would always need more.
He blinked, looking away from her to focus on the Governor when she spoke, responding to Doctor Richardson's comment.
"Welcome back Doctor Richardson, it's good to see you back here in the morgue again. How did the project on the Big Island go? Was it a success?" She questioned with a friendly smile which told Steve that the Governor like the Chief Medical Examiner.
"It seemed like it was but we probably won't know for sure until next month at the earliest. I'll be able to send you a reporting detailing everything then which should answer any questions which you may have." Doctor Richardson told her.
"It would be good to read it." The Governor stated before she crossed her arms over her chest, her attitude changing as though she remembered why they were there. "I appreciate you coming on today as well, I know that you're not officially meant to start work again until Monday but I need the best people I have working this case and you are my best Medical Examiner, that is why you're the Chief Medical Examiner despite your age."
"Well as I said to you on the phone Governor Jameson, anyone who works in my department would have been able to handle the autopsy." Doctor Richardson replied mildly, a soft rebuke in her tone which made Steve's interest in her grow further, he wasn't used to seeing anyone challenging the older woman in any fashion, normally what she said, went.
Doctor Richardson moved passed them, stopping next to a coat stand with several white coats on it. Steve watched as she casually ruffled through them before she selected one and pulled it on over her dress, her head tilting to one side, as she listened to whatever the Medical Examiner who has approached her was saying to her before she nodded and said something back to him before she headed back to where they were standing. Her eyes moving over to Steve and Danny again with a thoughtful look before she spoke, her gaze focusing on the Governor again.
"I see you brought some guests with you today?"
"Guests with me? Oh, right, sorry I had forgotten that you wouldn't know who these two were." Governor Jameson said sounding almost startled as though whether that came from the fact that the Doctor has asked or whether it was because there was someone who didn't know them from sight, he wasn't sure.
"This way" The Doctor remarked leading them over to one of the tables where a body lay covered only by a single white sheet. She stopped beside it, fixing the Governor with a questioning look, clearly still waiting for an answer about them, Steve almost introduced them himself, stopping when the Governor seemed to pull herself together and spoke.
"These are Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams. The Commander is in charge of my new taskforce which I established a short time after you left and Detective Williams is his partner and second in Command. Gentleman, this is Doctor Danielle Richardson, the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Hawaii.
"So, these are the famous McGarrett and Williams then, I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon but it's a pleasure." She remarked with a warm smile at them both.
"You've heard of us?" Danny questioned, rising an eyebrow when she nodded at him.
"Your reputation proceeds you, we even heard of you on the Big Island." She explained to them, her eyes dropping to the body. Steve looked away from the Governor to look at Danielle, her name running through his mind, a small smile curving his mouth. She actually looked like a Danielle though he found himself wondering if the people who she knew and who she considered her friends called her by the full name, or by a shorter nickname. "I understand that you have acquainted with the Victim Governor?" Danielle asked breaking through the silence, her eyes coming up and focusing on the older woman. Steve followed her gaze, watching as the Governor's jaw clenched as though she was trying to hold back the words confirming it, it was enough to cause Danielle's eyes to soften, a gentleness coming to her voice which had been lacking before. "I'm sorry for your loss, I really am but if you knew the victim, Governor then you should leave before I begin the autopsy on her. In these situations, its best if you hold onto the images you have in your mind of her. She has already been identified so there is no reason for you to put yourself through this."
She watched the Governor stare at Danielle for a moment, her eyes widening before she visibly swallowed hard and nodded slightly at her before she turned to Steve and Danny, her eyes looking surprisingly bright in the overhead lights as though she was holding back her tears.
"Keep me informed of all your findings as they happen Governor. I don't care what time it is; Brandon or Vanessa will put you straight through." She said, her voice making it clear that it wasn't a request before she turned and left the morgue, her a bodyguard leading the way again with her PA following her out, still typing away on the blackberry.
Danielle waited; her head slightly tilted until the sound of the Governor's heels had dispersed.
"Let's us begin" She stated, bringing her hand up and curling her finger at them, indicating for them to move closer to the table.
Steve moved before he was even aware, he was moving, stopping beside the table. He closed his eyes briefly, subtly breathing in Danielle's scent. She smelly surprising sweet, a mixture of orange and vanilla which made his mouth water even at the same time as he picked up on how unusual a combination it was, considering their surroundings. He focused on the smell, memorising it and allowing it to settle him as he reopened his eyes taking in his surroundings again and trying hard not to notice that she was the perfect height to slip comfortably beneath his arm.
"Hey McGarrett, are you still here with us?"
Steve blinked at the sound of his partner's familiar voice, his thoughts scattering for a second time when he realised that both blondes were watching him. Danny merely looked vaguely amused, a gleam to his eyes which told Steve that Danny was well aware of what was going on in his mind, while Danielle was watching him with a thoughtful look which he couldn't quite read, a fact which frustrated him more than he wanted to admit.
"Sorry, I was miles away for a moment, did I miss something?" He asked as he ran his hand through his hair. He frowned as an unfamiliar wave of jealousy hit him when Danielle turned to look at his partner and shared an amused look with him. Steve had always known that one of his biggest character flaws was his possessiveness over the people in his life who he cared for but he had never experienced it quite so strongly before with someone who he had just met for the first time.
"Did you miss something? How about the fact that I've been speaking to you for the past two minutes straight?" Danny responded, elbowing Steve in his side and giving him a long, pointed look, telling him without words to get a hold on himself.
"What can I say Buddy, you talk so much that your voice has become like white noise to me" Steve replied, flashing Danny a grin.
"See what I have to put up with?" Danny said, directing him comment at Danielle before he spoke. "Doctor Richardson was about to go through her initial findings from the body, with us."
"You might as well call me Danielle" The small blonde remarked as she rested her palms against the metal table, her grey eyes flickering between them. "If we're going to be working together as much as the Governor seemed to be indicating then it would be easier in the long run. Doctor Richardson can be a mouthful to say at times."
"Danni" Steve corrected automatically, unable to keep the nickname for her, from escaping from his lips. He mentally kicked himself, scolding his own mind and body for seemingly turning against him and making him look like an idiot in front of her. He couldn't remember the last time a woman had thrown him of his usual stride. He was a confident man, aware of his good looks with an underlying vulnerability to him that woman picked up on it and responded to it and yet it seemed as though Danielle wasn't responding to it and that small fact was making him feel as though he was fourteen again, interacting with the first girl he had ever liked in a romantic sense.
The one thing he did know for certain was that his partner was going to have a field day of teasing once they had left the morgue.
Danielle turned to look at Danny with an expectant look on her face making it clear that she was waiting for him to respond, something which Steve could understand since the Governor had introduced his partner as Danny to her. Steve raised an eyebrow at the wide smile which came to Danny's face when he caught sight of the look.
"Oh no" He said to her with a shake of her head. "He's not talking to me right now Danielle, he's actually letting you know in his goofball way that he'll be calling you Danni from now on so you might as well get used to it because nothing seems to change his mind once he has decided on something. It's like his insistence on calling me Danno all the time, it doesn't matter how many times I tell him not to, he still does it. So, if you do hear him calling out Danni then it's you, he is referring to." He grinned at her, jabbing his thumb towards Steve before turning to look to him, making it clear that his comment was directed at him. "Tell me I'm wrong?" He challenged with a raised eyebrow, the same amused glint from before coming to his eyes.
"On this occasion he's right, which once you get to know him, you'll realise just how rare that is." Steve agreed, a half-smile curling his lip at the sound of Danny's sound of outrage. "You're Danni to me now instead of Danielle just like this guy is Danno, like he says, it's easier if you just accept it." He commented, meeting her eyes directly, surprised when he realised, he couldn't get a proper read on what she was thinking. "Why haven't we met before now?" He demanded, the question popping out on its own free will. He didn't just mean why they hadn't met since he had been back on the island, but more a heartfelt question about why it had taken them this long to meet when everything in him which he hadn't locked down was screaming at him that they had meant to meet each other. He was aware of the sigh from his partner as he leaned forwards towards her, palms resting on the opposite side of the metal slab to hers as he breathed in her scent again.
From the way her eyes had flickered away when he had spoken, he was sure that she had understood the true meaning behind his question. Her gaze flashed towards Danny so quickly that if Steve hadn't been watching her closely, then he may have missed it. A look which he realised meant that she wouldn't answer him the way he wanted her to, not when his partner was there.
"Clearly you weren't paying attention earlier when the Governor was talking about this or you would have your explanation already." She remarked, a brisk tone to her voice as she looked back at him with a thoughtful look. Steve remained quiet, keeping his eyes locked on hers, for a moment they simply stared at each other, the world slipping away for Steve until Danielle looked away, a streak of pink staining her cheekbones before she spoke again. "I've been on the Big Island running a project and only returned to Oahu last week. Your taskforce didn't exist before I left which would be why we have never met each other. We wouldn't have even met here today if it wasn't for the Governor calling me directly asking me to perform the autopsy. You can't exactly ignore a call like that however tempting it might have been."
"We have been on the receiving end of those calls as well so you have my sympathy." Danny piped up on a sigh.
"I see" Steve said thoughtfully, his eyes looking around the room again with a growing frown. "Why are you situated in this place? It would make sense to bring the Medical Examiner Office over to the Ali'iolani Hale building where the taskforce is based." He commented. He felt as though he was a mere bystander, watching himself talking himself into a corner that would be hard to recover from. "There is a great deal more room over there plus we have all the state to the art equipment that you would need. This area seems like a dead area. I couldn't even see any good coffee shops here though there are plenty where we are situated. I could take you to one of the shops and we could grab a coffee together sometime soon/" He offered, biting the inside of his cheek when Danny coughed loudly from beside him as though to remind him that he was still there. "With us I mean, Right Danno" He amended making sure not to look at his partner again.
A silence followed his words as Danielle stared at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and vague amusement.
"Well" She eventually said. "While I appreciate your offer to have my whole unit moved to a few floors is your building, I'm going to have to pass on this occasion. You see while this location may seem like a bit of a trek for you to make, it is in fact in the middle of where your team is based and where HPD are based. The building itself is barely a year old and it strictly belongs to my department so we are not sharing with anyone else giving us more than enough room and the same Governor who has provided you with all the high tech equipment you need, has also done exactly the same thing for me so we have everything we need. Those were all your reasons behind us moving right?" She queried, tilting her head before she made a sound. "Oh, the missing coffee shop, of course, well there are plenty around here if you know where to look and I am one of those people who knows where to look."
"This almost makes it worth having to come in on a Saturday" Danny murmured from beside him, his voice low enough that Danielle wouldn't have heard the comment.
"And it's Danielle, not Danni. Danni is a nickname which my friends call me and I wouldn't quite describe us as friends considering the fact, we have just met each other." Danielle added, a softness coming to her voice which ha been lacking before as her eyes locked with Steve's, the searching expression in them telling him that she was trying to get a read on him. She looked away and focused on Danny when the other man made a sound which sounded like smothered laughter.
"You mean that you and I aren't friends yet" Steve corrected her, smiling when she focused on him again. "But we will be, I've been told that I'm a good friend to have, right Danno?" He remarked, mentally willing his partner to take some pity on him and back him up.
"Do I have to answer that?" Danny said, a teasing aspect to him voice before he relented. "In all seriousness, he is a very good friend to have. I mean, I do have to overlook the fact that he is constantly trying to get me shop or killed with his half-baked ideas but once I do then yeah, he's all right." He turned to Steve and smiled at him, clearly unaffected by his death glare which Steve was giving him.
"Wait, you try and get your partner killed? Doesn't that go against the unspoken rule of partnership?" Danielle asked, sounding momentarily confused.
"Yeah, all the time Danielle, like at least once a week." Danny responded with another big sigh which made Steve have to resist the urge to reach across and strangle his partner. "You know that the first time that I met the Neanderthal he managed to get me shot within the hour. It wasn't the best omen at the time." He remarked thoughtfully, bringing his hand up and rubbing absently at his chin.
Danielle stared at him for a second through wide eyes before she let out a startled laugh quickly smothering it off as she shook her head.
"I can see that it's never going to be boring working with the two of you." She stated, an undercurrent of amusement to her voice.
"Frustrating at time yes but you'll never be bored Danielle, that's for sure." Danny agreed with a large grin which told Steve that the blond was warming towards the Medical Examiner.
"Let me explain something to you about Danno here, Danni" Steve said, attracting both their attention to him, though he kept his own eyes fixed on the grey eyes in front of him. "He has a tendency of exaggeration everything and I literally mean everything. The situation he is talking about was when a criminal, not me, but a criminal who we were hunting shot him in the arm and that was due to the position he was standing in. I actually had nothing to do with it. On top of that, you were well aware that you might be shot at one day Danno, we both were. It's the nature of the jobs we both signed up for." He pointed out with a shake of his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Firstly, the jobs we applied for are completely different from one another. You applied to be a ninja Navy SEAL while I applied to be a cop which is a nice, sensible job in comparison to yours." Danny said, holding up one finger to illustrate his point and ignoring the snort Steve let out at the comment. "Also, in case it slipped your mind, I never actually applied to be part of the taskforce. I have this very distinct memory of one minute being a Detective with HPD and then the next minute having you at my door, banging on it like I owed you money before you calmly informed me that I was now your partner and the two of us were going to get along great." He stated, raising a challenging eyebrow at Steve before he turned to look at Danielle who was watching them both in interest. "I feel its only fair to warn you Danielle that once this guy has set his mind on a course then that is it, not even God himself could sway him from that course."
"Yeah, yeah, you might constantly complain about the way things turned out but we both know that it's just for show and it was a decision which changed your life for the better."
"That's up for debate" Danny replied thoughtfully, hiding a wince as Steve's hand clapped down on his shoulder and squeezed painfully. "Alright, I get it you Neanderthal" He murmured, glancing at Steve when he finally released him though Steve paid him no attention, instead his eyes were focused on Danielle who had stopped watching them and instead she was absorbed with the body in front of her, gently pushing the sheet back of expose the girl's head, a sad look coming to her face briefly before it disappeared behind a cool, calm mask.
"So, shall I show you that coffee shop later on?" Steve asked.
Danielle looked back up at him, her eyes searching his eyes intently again before she looked back down.
"Maybe right now we should focus on the case? Last time I checked you still needed to solve and I still need to get this autopsy completed and the report written before my plans for this afternoon." She commented firmly with a slight narrowing of her eyes.
"What plans have you got for this afternoon?" Steve queried before he could help himself, almost wincing when Danielle breathed out, a brief annoyance coming to her face.
"If I tell you what my plans are then can we then focus on the case. We're already wasted enough time." She pointed out impatiently, waiting until Steve nodded in response before, she continued speaking. "Fine, I'm meant to be going surfing with my friend Kono, we've had it planned for weeks, ever since I knew when I was coming back so unless I really have to then I don't expect to cancel it."
"Kono?" Danny repeated with a slight frown, his blue eyes flickering to Steve for a moment. "I don't suppose you happen to know Kono's surname, do you?"
"Why would you want to know that?" She asked him.
"Humour me" Danny said with a flash of a smile.
"Okay" Danielle said, drawing the word out before she shrugged. "Her surname is Kalakaua, now maybe you could humour me and tell me why you wanted to know what her surname was" She replied with a slight frown, her eyes fixed on the dead girl as she reached out and brushed some of her hair away from her face before she gripped her chin, using the hold to tilt her head to the slight, leaning slightly closer as though she had noticed something.
"I hate to be the one to break this to you Danielle but I think that your plans for the afternoon are cancelled. Now." Danny remarked, sounding sorry even as he shrugged at her.
"Why would you say that?" Danielle demanded, glancing up at him through narrowed eyes. "My friend hasn't texted or rang me to tell me any differently and besides how would you know that? Do you know Kono? Is that why you were asking me what her surname was? Because you were checking?" She questioned them curiously.
"Actually, we do know Kono, she works with us on the taskforce which means that she'll be spending this afternoon working with us trying to solve the case." Steve answered her softly, continuing to speak when he caught sight of the flicker of disappointment which came to her eyes. "If we finish the case up quickly then maybe you could go surfing in the evening instead. The waves by my house are incredible around eight. You and Kono could come around mine and surf off of my lanai if you want since it leads directly to the Ocean, you could relax with a couple of beers as well" He offered, keeping his voice casual with difficulty.
"I don't drink beer" Danielle replied absently. "I like wine and I'll drink certain types of spirits and I'll always be up for trying cocktails but not beer or ale. The truth is that I don't even like the taste of it in any form." She confided in him, blinking as though she was surprised with herself at sharing the information with him. She looked back towards the body, her posture and voice changing. "Anyway, about the case, I can tell you from my first exploration that this girl was dead before she was discarded in the water. If she had drowned then there would be some visible indication of it, maybe some foaming around the mouth or haemorrhaging in her eyes." She tilted the head back, her finger slotting into an area in her jawline which forced her mouth open. Danielle turned and picked up a small flashlight from the table which had been set up beside her, switching it on and position it so that she could look down the girl's windpipe. She nodded. "There's no irritation in the lining of her throat either." She told them as she switched the torch off and placed it back on the table. "If she had drowned then the salt from the ocean would have caused some sort of reaction."
"What do you think did kill her if drowning wasn't the cause of it?" Steve asked her seriously, effortlessly slipping into his SEAL mode, becoming more aware of everything which was happening around them. He had almost forgotten that there were other Medical Examiners in the room working and that people were coming in through the large doors, some other Detectives, others delivering new bodies."
"I'm not sure what the cause is yet" Danielle admitted. "There is no bruising around her throat so she wasn't strangled by anyone, I'll know more once I completed a full autopsy of her, I have some ideas about what could have happened but I'd rather not share them until I have the proof in case, I'm incorrect. Hopefully whatever caused her death, it was quick, no one deserves a long death, especially not when they are this young."
"Look" Danny said, breaking the silence which had fallen between them after her words. "It's best if we leave you alone now so you can get on with the job you need to do. The sooner you can complete the autopsy then the sooner we'll have the information which we need to work on." He stated, smiling at her when she nodded her agreement.
"I can email you my results once I've finished it which should take about two to four hours. The preliminary results should come back within twenty-four hours and the official report should be with you within six weeks as usual, though given the Governor's interest in the case I'll expedite it on this occasion." She said, the professional tone from earlier slipping back into her voice. "Now that my plans for this afternoon have been cancelled it will give me more time to start."
"Thanks, we appreciate that Danielle, we…" Danny began to say, stopping when Steve cut across him interrupting his flow.
"It would be better if you could call us directly on our work cell rather than email us." He stated. "We're going to be out of the office for most of the day chasing down any leads which means that we won't have a chance to check them until late afternoon at the earliest. I don't want us to miss something especially when we can't afford any delays."
"That's fine, if you prefer me to call you with the initial findings then I can do that. I can send the email at the same time since you'll still need the preliminary findings for the DA." Danielle replied with a nod before she tilted her head to one side again, giving him another thoughtful look.
"I appreciate that Danni and I appreciate you expedited the case for us, I can see how busy your department is at the moment." Steve said, waving his hand out to indicate the busy room before he turned back to Danny. "Let's head back to the office Danno and catch up with the others to see what they've found out."
"Sounds like a plan" Danny said with a nod before he looked at Danielle who had picked up the scalpel, clearly ready to crack on with the autopsy now that they were leaving. "Speak to you later Danielle"
Steve watched as Danny turned and headed towards the door and began to follow him when he stopped and turned back to look at Danielle, waiting until she realised that he was still there and had looked up at him with questioning grey eyes. "It was really nice meeting you Danni regardless of the reasoning behind it." He told her quietly, noticing the way her eyes widened briefly. "Think about that coffee, you'll see that regardless of what you may have heard, that I am a nice guy." He smiled at her before he turned and left the morgue, feeling her gaze burning into his back.
He moved down the main corridor and out into the main foyer area of the building, unsurprised to see Danny waiting for him on the other side of the security barrier, his arms crossed over his chest, already watching Steve. Steve headed through the gate and moved towards him, raising an eyebrow when Danny spoke the minute Steve was in earshot of him.
"Just what in God's name was that in there exactly? Were you possessed or something?" Danny demanded, his eyes narrowing as they scanned over Steve's face as though he was searching for proof of his theory.
"What was what exactly? You're going to have to be more specific." Steve questioned him back, unable to keep the grin from his face as he swiped the keys to Danny's car from his hands and exited the building, thankful to be back in the sunshine after the coolness of the morgue. He glanced around him out of habit, wondering briefly which car belonged to Danielle, before he headed over to the familiar silver Camaro which was one of his partner's Pride of Joys and one of Steve's as well.
"What was what?" Danny repeated in disbelief as he moved around the front of the car towards the passenger side. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Steve so don't act dumb because it doesn't suit you and doesn't fool me. I'm talking about your strange attempt at flirting with Danielle Richardson over the dead body of our victim. I mean what the hell was that?" He stated again as he pulled the door open and climbed in, slamming it closed behind him, waiting until Steve climbed in before he continued. "Don't you already have a girlfriend already who you have just spent the night with? The same girlfriend who is probably at your house now, waiting for you to head home so you can continue where you left off."
Steve rolled his eyes at the comment, glancing towards his partner as the other man pulled on his seatbelt before his attention focused back on the Medical Examiner's building again.
"Cath and I have an arrangement together Danno, nothing more and nothing less which I keep explaining to you but since it's not sinking in your head then let me try again. Catherine and I are friends who occasionally have sex together. It's nothing serious and we are both well aware of that fact. It's not a relationship and she is not my girlfriend. So, as far as I'm concerned, I am a free agent who can flirt with anyone that I want to and so is she." He told his friend, keeping his voice patient and ignoring the huffing sound which Danny made in reply and instead turned the key in the ignition, reversing out of the car park space which Danny had chosen. They drove in silence for about fifteen minutes, Danny clearly mulling over what Steve had told him. It was surprisingly unnerving since Danny was rarely silent unless he was extremely pissed off about something. "I noticed that Danni wasn't wearing an engagement or wedding ring" Steve said into the quietness, unable to keep a smile from her face.
"I hate to be the one to rain on your parade Buddy but Danielle was about to perform an autopsy, she wasn't wearing any jewellery unless you count the small hooped earrings she was wearing. If she had been wearing any rings then she would have taken them off before she joined us, so that they didn't contaminate any evidence she found or god forbid get lost in the body." Danny pointed out, a guilty feeling washing over him when he caught sight of the pained looked which flashed across Steve's face before he hid it. "I'm sorry Steve" Danny continued to say. "I can tell from the goofy way you're acting that you liked the look at her but the simple fact is that a girl who looks like Danielle Richardson is nearly always in a relationship and it's as simple as that. It's not even me being negative but simply a fact. I don't want you to build up any hope in regards to her only to find that she is newly engaged or married to someone else."
Steve remained quiet for a moment before he took his hand off the steering wheel, shifting in his seat so he could pull out his cell phone, swiping his thumb across the screen, he pressed the number six button and placed the call on loudspeaker so he would be able to speak while he drove.
"Hey Boss, what's up?" Kono's voice answered after a few rings. "Chin and I have just arrived back at the Headquarters and we're beginning to look into the Victim's bank records to see whether she used a credit or bank card last night, if she did then we might be able to establish a timeline. Where are you both currently?"
"We're driving to headquarters now, we had to meet the Governor at the morgue to get the details of the case" Steve answered her. "Keep on doing what you are doing and make sure that you look into her twin sister's bank account as well, apparently they both went missing at the same time which means that they were probably both abducted by the same person. If they were on a night out which seems to be the case then they probably used their cards at some point."
"Yeah, we'll look into her as well, if there is something to find then we'll find it." Kono assured him confidently.
"Kono, just a moment" Steve said, stopping the Rookie from ending the call.
"Yeah, what is it Boss? Did you forget something?" She queried curiously
"You know the Chief Medical Examiner Danielle Richardson, right? What can you tell me about her?" He asked her, ignoring the disbelieving look which Danny shot him.
"Danni girl" Kono said, suddenly sounding surprised. "What about her? Is she okay? I was about to call her but has something happened to her?"
Steve raised an eyebrow as the questions were fired off in quick succession. Clearly Kono and Danielle were actually close friends if the Rookie's blatant concern was any indication to go by though how the two of them met and why Kono never mentioned the other woman was beyond Steve.
"She is fine Kono" He assured the Rookie quietly, sharing a quick look with Danny who was looking curious. "We just met her at the morgue, she was about to begin the autopsy on our victim."
"We also mentioned to her that your surfing date together later on was postpone so you don't have to worry about letting her know." Danny added, speaking up for the first time.
"Thanks for doing that but I'm still going to call her and let her know myself." Kono replied firmly. "It sucks for her that she's been brought in to do it because she wasn't meant to start work until Monday since she is still settling in after her trip. The Governor must be dead keen to have the best working on his case. Why do you want to know about her boss? Is it something to do with the case?" The younger girl questioned, a hint of hesitancy to her voice which was usually lacking,
"It is to do with the case" Danny said smoothly. "We're just talking about the case that's all. She seems to know what she is talking about and you know Steve, he wants to know everything about everyone who he is working with and from what the Governor was saying to us, we'll be working, a great deal with Danielle in the future.
"Well that is good news for us then" Kono replied. "She is really good at what she does, even Max speaks highly of her and you know how he tends to be with people. She moved to Hawaii about three maybe four years ago with her twin brother and his young daughter but I couldn't tell you where she lived before she came here because she doesn't really talk about that or her twin either now I think about it, the only thing I know is that they share a house together. She is a really lovely, super smart person though, very funny and generous and probably one of the kindest people I know once you get passed her defences which is hard work but worth it.
"If she lives with her twin brother than I'm assuming that she isn't married." Steve remarked without thinking, almost kicking himself when a silence met his comment before Kono began laughing.
"I see how it is now Boss, you should have just said at the beginning of this conversation that you wanted to know about her because you fancy her." The Rookie teased; her previous concern being replaced with amusement. "Unless things have changed since I last saw her than she isn't married and she isn't engaged to anyone. If you're asking whether she is single then I can't answer that because I don't know, she may have met someone over on the Big Island for all I know. I do know that before she left, she was close to Ryan Moore, the head of CSU but they could just be friends." She remarked thoughtfully. "If you want to know for certain then you're going to need to broach the conversation with Danni directly and hope that she feels like answering.
"We should have this case wrapped up by tomorrow" Steve said thoughtfully even as he absorbed what Kono had told him. "You know that Grace still wants to learn to surf and Danno had agreed that as long as you were the one who was giving her the lessons and they were head on my private beach rather than a public one, then she could learn. Perhaps we should arrange for that to happen tomorrow afternoon, you guys can come around and you can invite Danielle as well Kono to make up for missing today. I can do a BBQ for the evening as well, it just means that I need to head out later and pick up plenty of bottles of wine to keep at my place and maybe I should broaden my collection of spirits as well." He stated as he tapped his fingertips against the steering wheel again.
"You'll be wanting Gin and Tia Maria then boss" Kono piped up. "I mean, I'm assuming you are getting the spirits for Danni right because if that is the case then those are the two spirits which I've seen her drink when we've been out on a girlie night."
"They should be easy to get" Steve answered with a smirk, already making plans to learn some cocktails he could make using them.
"Okay enough of this now guys" Danny said as he clapped his hands together attracting Steve's attention to him. "This is the kind of discussion which can wait until after we've solved out case. I assume that the pay of you haven't forgotten our case where a young girl's life is still on the line. We can talk to our heart's contents about Danielle Richardson once it solved and the girl is back with her parents." He stated firmly.
"Okay case now but tomorrow we are having that surfing day at mine. Grace and Charlie will love it." Steve stated with a look of determination on his face as he said goodbye to Kono and ended the call on their end.
"Don't be so certain that we can solve this case within that short amount of time Steve, it might easily spill over into tomorrow depending on how professional the kidnappers are." Danny cautioned him, rolling his eyes when Steve grinned challengingly at him.
"You'll be eating those words soon enough Danno, you'll see."
Three hours later found Danny in his office doing just that as he watched Steve moving around his own area, pacing to and fro in front of his large desk as though he was a caged animal. He was on the phone to the CSU department and from the annoyed expression on his face, Danny was assuming that he had gotten through to Ryan Moore, the same Ryan Moor who Kono has casually hinted might have enjoyed more than a simple friendship with Danielle Richardson.
Something had happened to Steve since that initial meeting with Danielle showing a new facet of the older man's personality which Danny not only hadn't experienced before but one which he had no real idea on how to deal with.
The only explanation he could come up with for the change was that Steve had fallen for Danielle during that face to face between them and had fallen harder than he had for anyone else, possibly leaving him with emotions and feelings which he wasn't used to dealing with. God knew there had been enough sparks flying between the two of them, although Danielle had managed to handle her reaction to it better than Steve had, to light the morgue on fire.
Clearly falling for Danielle was good for Steve's work ethic given the fact that he had spent the last three hours working as though it was his life, and not the life of a young girl which hung in the balance, and Danny was positive that it was all down to a small woman, who was probably still elbow deep on human remains, trying to find the answered as to what had killed Beatrice while she was in the prime of her life.
A woman, who probably had no real idea just what she had evoked in his partner or the change she had seemingly had on him.
He could easily understand why his partner had fallen for the Medical Examiner. She was beautiful and was clearly very intelligent, add to that the mystery which seemed to surround her and she became a challenge which he knew Steve wouldn't be able to resist.
God knew that his partner needed some stability in his life and perhaps Danielle with her steady, almost serene, aura which seemed to surround her would be able to give him that, given of course, that she felt the same way that Steve clearly felt for her.
He blinked, glancing down at his cell phone when it went off, a slight frown coming to his face when he realised it was from an unknown number. For a moment he was tempted to let it run to voicemail but instead he made himself answer it.
"Detective Williams" He stated gruffly.
"Hi Detective Williams, it's Danielle Richardson, the Chief Medical Examiner. I'm sorry to call but have you a moment to talk?"
Danny almost laughed down the line at the fact that she had felt the need to introduce herself to him as though he needed reminding of who she was. In fairness to her though she was hardly to know that she was the only other topic, other than the case, which had made its way around the office, especially since Kono had clearly alerted the other members of the team about her earlier conversation with Steve.
"Hiya Danielle, I've got a moment or you. Have you finished the autopsy? Was there anything which you found which could help us with the case?" He asked her as he leaned back in his chair.
"I was right in my initial assumption that Beatrice had been killed before she had been placed in the water. There was no sign of any water in her lungs and it would have been definitely present if she had still been alive.
"Do you know how she was killed then or do you still need time to conduct further tests?" Danny asked, lifting his thumb to his mouth and biting own on the skin beside the nail out of habit as he listened to her.
"She was killed by a lethal injection." She answered him, a tone of sadness breaking through her professional tone for a moment. "It would have been extremely quick for her, mere minutes and would probably have just felt as though she was going to sleep. There is certainly worse way which they could have killed her. I've sent a sample of her blood work to CSU to see whether they can isolate the toxins which were used."
"Thanks for letting us know" Danny said. "Was there anything else which you found while you were examining her which leapt out at you or was that it?"
"Actually, there was one other thing which I found which might be of use to you." She said, her tone brightening slightly. "I used the UV light on her skin before I started the main part of the autopsy and it highlighted something interesting on her hand. There was a mark on the back of the left one, the kind you get when you arrive at a club so you can go in and out as much as you want without having to repay each time. The club that this mark belongs to is called Heaven and Hell" She told him. "Kono and I went there before I left the island and I remembered the mark because it was pretty distinctive. For her to have this mark, as fresh as it looks, means that she had to have been there last night at some point."
"You are a Superstar" He told her warmly as he came to his feet, waving his arm side to side un Steve's direction and making a motion with his hand for him to join him when Steve looked over at him. "Just hold the line for a moment Danielle, I want to tell Steve about your discovery and it will make it easier to answer his questions if you're still around."
"That's fine, I can wait while you fill him in on everything." Danielle replied briskly. "I've sent you a picture of the mark on your cell phone so you'll be able to see what I mean when I said it was distinctive."
Steve entered his partner's office, feeling pissed off with Ryan Moore, the man was a complete and utter nightmare though Steve knew that if he was being honest with himself then he hadn't probably have handled the call to the best of his abilities, all he had been thinking about during the call was that Ryan may have been in a relationship of some kind with Danielle, the same Danielle who Steve could admit to himself, that he wanted.
"Hey, what is it?" He asked as he closed the door behind him and sank into the chair in front of Danny's desk, his eyes flickering from the blonde's face to the cell phone he has near his ear. "Who is on the phone? Gracie or Charlie? If so say hi for me."
"No, it's not my kids, it's Danielle. She managed to find something during the autopsy which was interesting. Turns out our victim was at a night club last night called Heaven and Hell." Danny told him, watching as Steve seemed to consider it for a moment before he nodded, bringing out his own cell phone and quickly sending a message to Chin to tell him to look into the club. He looked back at Danny who was clearly waiting for him to say something.
"So, Danni is on the phone with you now?" He asked, pushing down on his surprise that she had rang Danny instead of himself, considering the fact that he was the head of the taskforce. "Did she say why she had called you?" He asked, pushing himself back to his feet and holding out his hand towards Danny, making it clear without words that he wanted the cell phone.
"She probably rang me because you've been on your cell phone for the past thirty minutes or so talking to CSU and the information couldn't wait." Danny pointed out sensibly, hissing in surprise when Steve suddenly jabbed him in the arm, directly on the nerve causing his grip to loosen on the phone enough for Steve to nab it from him. He brought it to his ear and spoke.
"Hey Danni, Danno said that you've caught a break for us with a club stamp? I thought that you would call me with any information you found."
"Just when I think you can't get any lamer you go and prove me wrong" Danny growled at him, still rubbing at his arm. "Just let me tell you, in case you haven't figured it out yourself yet, that you sound pathetically desperate right now."
Steve glared at Danny, moving away from him and focusing his attention on the call as Danielle spoke.
"I would have called you but I realised after you both left that I didn't have either of your cell phone numbers and they aren't stored on the HPD address book. I ended up having to contact Meka Hanamoa because I remember his wife Amy telling me about Meka's old partner who was called Danny and came from the mainland and had left HPD to join a taskforce. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the story aligned with the one which Danny said in the morgue. So, I called him and got Danny's number from him."
"You don't have my cell number" Steve repeated. "I didn't realise that it hadn't of been added to the address book. We can solve that issue now though." He told her before he hit the disconnect button, bringing the handset from his ear and looked down at the screen, plugging the number into his own phone, pressing the connect button and throwing Danny's phone to him and ignoring the wide eyes look he gave him.
The phone rang twice before it was picked up.
"Doctor Richardson"
"Hey Danni, it's Steve." He said, raising an eyebrow when a brief silence followed his greeting.
"Did you just hang up on me to call me back on your cell phone?" She asked him.
"Yeah, I did, it was a strategic move, I need you to be able to reach me in the future when it comes to cases, now you have my number and I have yours. If we want, we can take a photo later on and use it."
"I'm sorry did you say a photo?" She asked him, sounding bemused over the line. Steve nodded his head, glancing towards Danny who was making a slashing hand across his throat, shaking his hand at him, clearly trying to stop Steve from saying anything more.
"Shut up you animal, we could…" his words halted abruptly when Danny suddenly moved, thrusting his elbow in his ribs and using the distraction to wrestle the phone away from him, moving back behind his desk so it was between them providing a barrier.
"Danielle? It's Danny again. I'd like to apologise to you on Steve's behalf, he's not normally like this, you're just caught him on a strange day."
"Danno, what are you doing give me back my phone." Steve warned him in a low voice, reaching for the phone and growling when Danny hit his hand away, before he covered the handpiece, muffling his words.
"What I'm doing is trying to save you, you ungrateful asshole. I don't know how they taught you to speak to girls you like in the Navy but the way you're doing it is wrong unless you're actually trying to come across as a crazy stalker which wouldn't be attractive to anyone." Danny stated.
"She seemed fine with it" Steve countered with a glare.
"Fine by it?" Danny repeated, his hand waving around him wildly. "She was probably more taken aback by it. This is more a suicide call in the making. You need help my friend and will even pay for it." He promised, trying to escape when Steve lunged at him with a growl and a promise of revenge in his eyes.
"LADIES" Chin shouted from the door causing them both to freeze as they looked towards it to see the other members of the team watching them. Kono just behind her cousin, grinning at them while Chin merely looked unimpressed. "If you've finished acting like children then we have information about that lead in the case Danielle gave us." He told them both with a long look before he turned and headed back into the main room in the direction if the computer table.
"This isn't the end of this." Steve told his partner lowly when they were alone, "Now give me the phone Danno."
Danny met his eyes, bringing the handset back to his ear.
"Danielle? Are you still there?" He asked down the phone.
"Hello Danny" She replied cautiously. "I thought that you might have forgotten I was still here."
"That's not going to happen" He responded. "We've got a lead so someone will call you back later. Thanks again for the information you provided." He remarked before he hung up the phone and looked back at his best friend. "Smooth Dog my ass" He stated in disbelief. "What the hell was that? I've seen kids still in the single digits of their lives with better chat up techniques then you have Buddy" He said, using the cell phone to point at Steve.
"What are you talking about Daniel? I was managing just fine before you interrupted." He told him, his eyes flashing angrily as he held his hand out for the phone again.
"You can have the phone back on the condition that you do not call Danielle again today. I mean it Steve or if you do then I'll tell Gracie that she can't take surfing lessons again and that you are the reason for that change.
Steve's mouth fell open at the comment.
"You wouldn't dare tell her that." He responded in disbelief.
"Oh, but I would Steven if it meant saving you from yourself." Danny replied seriously. "Have we got a deal?" Steve remained silent for a moment, glaring at Danny before she nodded once. "Good, now have your cell back" He said, finally holding it out to Steve, rolling his eyes when the taller man snatched it from him.
Danny watched as Steve turned and stormed out of his office heading towards the others and sighed, shaking his head.
He might have saved Danielle for one day but tomorrow was another story.
Author Note
Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.
I really appreciate it